Our Time and Space
by Reinonymous
Summary: Always risking his life to save others, Ash tried his luck too much taking down Team Flare. Yet, Arceus grants him life again long enough to take down an enemy no one has ever seen before. With time beforehand, its up to Ash to determine how to spend the rest of his time before leaving again; whether that be training or spending time with loved ones.
1. Never Give Up Until the End

**Our Time and Space**

Chapter 1

" **WHAUGH**!"

The man with orange hair threw his glasses down with frustration. He fell to his knees and screamed in agony as his goal, his opportunity to make a better and more beautiful world, was foiled. He looked at his knocked out Gyarados beside him and then at the one boy who beat him, Ash Ketchum.

Ash was standing beside his friends Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie, all looking at Lysandre. They were all in the deepest part of the secret headquarters of Team Flare. The room they were in was dark with light coming only from a large machine lying in the center. There formerly laid the legendary Pokémon Yvetal until Ash awakened and befriended the being. Yvetal joined them in the fight against Lysandre despite having been drained of its power by the machine. The legendary stood behind the group, watching all of them carefully. Ash's group stayed silent, unsure how to respond to Lysandre's burst of anger and anguish until Bonnie broke it with a quiet voice.

"Hey, you know what I think?" she asked Lysandre. "Even if there's only a little bit of something, it's still best to share it. Even **YOU** managed to use Mega Evolution . . ."

Her brother, Clemont, was shocked she understood that; not even he realized it until now.

"That's because Gyarados shared its power with you, didn't it?" He continued for her. "And not just Gyarados but your other Pokémon as well . . ."

Ash finally spoke, "You can't use the ultimate weapon anymore, right? You don't have to worry about the future all by yourself. I think everyone should work together to make a better, beautiful world."

"If that were possible," Lysandre retorted, "all wars would have ended long ago!" He stood up with his eyes closed and fists tightened.

"I can only see one future! One where selfish, foolish humans think about no one other than themselves and steal more and more from one another . . . it's a tragic future!

"The original purpose of this device was to bring a Pokémon back to life. But the ancient king transformed it into this ultimate weapon . . . hmm. When the Legendary Pokémon awakened, it disrupted the machine and much of the drained energy—its power— became unstable and uncontrollable. Most of it either bursted through the headquarters or was released to the sky. There's not much power left . . . but there **IS** enough to use it at least once . . ."

His eyes opened, filled with rage.

"Ash! Sycamore's pupils! The ultimate weapon is a flower that bloomed to no avail . . . just like me . . . but this ends here! I will show what its remaining power can do!" With that, Lysandre ran to the control room.

"I won't let him do that!" Ash said before giving chase to him.

"Ash! What are you doing?" Clemont shouted.

The boy turns his head. "If he sets off the ultimate weapon, who knows what will happen to Geosenge Town and its residents. Get to safety!" Soon he became too far to be stopped.

"Ash! **NO**!" Serena screamed. She wanted to go after him but a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned to see Clemont's hand.

"Let's get going!" he said.

"But Ash-"

"Can take care of himself. We have to warn the people above."

"He only has Pikachu by his side!" she argued. "Who knows what kind of tricks Lysandre has up his sleeves?" Her eyes closed, imagining what could happen to him.

"Serena," Clemont starts, "in all honesty, I should have gone; I have the most knowledge of technology among us. But with my physique, there's no way I could keep up with him. At this point, I don't think you can catch up with them anyways without getting lost.

"He made his choice. If he fails, he wouldn't want us to be hurt along with him. We just need to have faith in him."

Serena was a bit unsure, but she reluctantly said, "Let's warn the townspeople."

They began to head off but Serena soon stopped in her tracks.

"Wait a minute. What about Yvetal?" Clemont and Bonnie stopped as well.

"That's right. Yvetal needs to get out of here," said Clemont, "but how?"

"I know!" exclaimed Bonnie. "Catch Yvetal and once we're out of here, release it. Simple transportation!"

Serena brought out a Pokéball. It was definitely worth a try.

"Yvetal!" She shouted out. The legendary Pokémon acknowledged her cry.

"We need to get out of here! If you let me capture you, I promise to release you as soon as we get somewhere safe" She brought out her hand, waiting for Yvetal's move. Yvetal brought its head forward as it continued to stare directly at Serena. The more it looked at Serena, the more intimidated she was getting and it didn't help that the massive Pokémon was moving towards her. Her raised arm started to shake. A loud noise came in the room and she couldn't tell if she flinched or if Yvetal poked at the Pokéball, but it turned red and went inside. The ball turned three times before finally clicking, meaning that the Pokémon was caught.

"I caught an Yvetal . . ." Serena quietly said to herself.

Clemont yelled, "Serena! Bonnie! We need to get out of here," before running off to the exit, followed by the two girls of the group. As Serena ran with the Pokéball in her hand, she was still deeply concerned about leaving her crush behind. The courageous, selfless boy who chased after the genocidal madman.

* * *

Ash had risked his life on several occasions. Some by simply trying to save someone from danger, other times by facing catastrophic danger and having everyone's lives on the line. This situation was closer to the latter.

"Get back here!" shouted Ash.

The boy and his best friend, Pikachu, ran after the mad man attempting to blow up the entire building. As he followed him, he couldn't help but think about their adventurous journey together. They've been brought to the brink of death before and this might be one of those times. Even if the entire world was no longer in danger, they still needed to protect the town above along with its residents.

 _No matter the danger,_ Ash thought. _No matter the odds, we have always been able to come through. Lysandre! I will not let you harm anyone!_

"You can't stop me now!" Lysandre yelled back.

As Lysandre entered the control room, he pressed a button that immediately shut the door behind him. It was a metal door—something that couldn't be tackled through. This wouldn't stop Ash though.

"Oh no you **DON'T**!"

With that last word, he charged into the door with all of his force. The collision only resulted in his shoulder getting hurt. He slid down momentarily before he stood up, holding his arm.

"Pikachu, Electroball!" he commanded to his friend.

The yellow mouse twirled its body, forming the yellow ball on his tail before yelling "Pika pika chabam!" and tossing it forward. A small explosion formed in front of them, but the smoke cleared showing that the door was still intact.

"Again!"

Meanwhile, Lysandre went busy on the computer in front of him as he typed in commands for the weapon. Despite hearing loud bangs on the door, he remained there, typing away. Once he pressed the 'send' button, the door finally gave in.

 **BOOM!**

The door slid on the floor until it stopped in front of Lysandre. As Ash and Pikachu entered the room, they saw the man in front of them grinning.

"You're too late!" He boasted. "It won't be long before this place is blown into oblivion, along with the two of us!"

Ash was never the one to give up though. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the computer!" As Pikachu charged up his attack, Lysandre held up his hand in front of them.

"That won't make a difference. Who knows? It might even cause the building to explode **instantly**." He was satisfied seeing the boy look so troubled.

"This is the end of the road for you Ash Ketchum!" he exclaimed. "I guess you won't become a Pokémon Master after all." He placed his hands on his sides as he laughed.

Ash had enough of his babble. He ran out of the room, leaving the laughing man, with Pikachu right by his side.

 _Darn it!_ Ash thought. _I couldn't make it in time to stop the weapon. Hopefully, the others have enough time to get everyone away safely. Getting out of here will take some time, I can tell it's going to be close._

Ash traced his steps to find the way up. As he made his way to the first set of stairs, his shoulder felt immense pain.

 **POP!**

It was enough for him to fall on his knees, his weight painfully twisting his right ankle and tearing his ligaments.

"Pika Pika!" his concerned partner said. Pikachu stood in front of Ash's face as he winced from the pain.

"I think I dislocated my shoulder from before," he said sadly. Ash began to take off his Pokéball belt. His fainted Pokémon rested inside of them.

"Pikachu, go on without me." He handed his belt to his partner.

Pikachu was shocked to hear this.

"If you use quick attack the rest of the way, you might make it out of this. Don't let my stupidity take your life." Ash didn't want his best friend to die with him; at least Pikachu could make it. However, the yellow mouse stayed where it was—perhaps a bit upset his trainer would suggest something like that.

"What are you waiting for?" Ash pleaded. "Get out of here while you can!"

"Pika pika!" Electricity started to appear from Pikachu, some of it stinging Ash. It didn't hurt as much as other attacks but he still flinched from it.

 _I'm not leaving you! I'll be with you until the very end!_ Pikachu told Ash. He was able to understand this due to the close bond between them.

The boy became very teary-eyed. "I guess you got that stubbornness from me," he said. He brought his arms out towards Pikachu.

"Come here buddy!"

Pikachu leaped into Ash's arms as he nuzzled into his chest. As the boy stroked Pikachu's back, he thought about all of their adventures leading up to this point.

"We sure went through alot together, huh?" He was looking up when Pikachu turned to at Ash and nodded.

"Made lots of friends," he continued. "Pokémon and people."

A chuckle came from his mouth. "Misty, I hope you become the best water-type trainer ever. Tracey, learn as much as you can from Professor Oak. You and Professor Oak, take care of my Pokémon please. And my mother, sorry Mom! Gary, surpass your grandpa as a researcher." Tears dripped down his face as he thought of all of his close friends.

"May, good luck at becoming a Top Coordinator. Max, become the Pokémon Master I couldn't become. Dawn . . ." his breathing was getting heavy.

"I guess I won't see you later now will I?" The tears came down faster.

"Iris, be that dragon master you wanted to be and Cilan, same with you as a Connoisseur. I guess I really am a kid to be as reckless as to..."

Noises soon filled the hallway as Ash hugged Pikachu tightly. Seeing his trainer the way he was, Pikachu stretched himself to reach his cheek and lick it. The crying stopped, his eyes opened to see his starter express concern towards him. Ash responded by bringing Pikachu closer to him.

"You're the best friend anyone can ever have!" he stated.

"Pika!"

A thunderous boom came in the hallway. Ash assumed the weapon finally sent its final blast.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena! Please don't blame yourselves for this; you guys did the best that you could. I hope Serena can push this aside for her next performance." He smiled with sorrow. "Clemont will be there. Hopefully, he can comfort the girls."

Ash closed his eyes, imagining he was in Professor Oak's corral. It's a sunny, windless day. He can clearly see his mom, the professor, Gary, his Pokémon, and the rest of his friends; old and new together. Everything just seemed to be in harmony.

With a soft voice, Ash said, "I'm glad to have met such good friends!" and he let silence fill the room. He pet Pikachu, waiting for the Ultimate Weapon's shot to make its landing.

* * *

Finally above the Team Flare headquarters, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie stood in front of the main gate of Geosenge Town. The three of them were able to warn the townspeople and they were all evacuated and at a safe distance from the weapon. They all waited, concerned over their friend still in the underground base, as the gigantic weapon in front of them began to charge. Serena was the most distressed as she clenched her jacket and flooded her eyes with tears.

"Clemont, I'm scared," Bonnie told her brother.

Before he could give a response, Serena began to move forward but Clemont reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Serena, don't," he quickly stated.

"But Ash is still down there!" Serena pleaded.

"Ash's always the risk-taker," Clemont responded, "but he's always made it. I have faith that he'll do it again—"

Suddenly, the Ultimate Weapon finally fired. They all gawked at the red laser beam fire upwards to the sky, only for it to fall back down. It landed with a hard crash and a wave of air sent all of them backwards.

As the clouds of dust cleared, they saw the weapon collapse and sink downwards to the ground, leaving behind a huge crater at the center of the town. Despite the hard fall, Serena got up as fast as she could and ran towards it. There wasn't any movement of any kind as she looked at the bottom of the crater.

" **A-ASH**?! **ASH**!" she cried out. She kneeled down in despair as her gut feeling told her that the boy didn't survive.


	2. The Pieces to Pick

**Sorry for 5 month wait! I haven't abandoned it; during the summer, I got lazy and addicted to binge watching Fairy Tail. But now that I'm all caught up, I'll start progressing this story now! Here's a very long chapter that's twice the amount I usually write. ^_^**

* * *

 **Our Time and Space**

Chapter 2

It seemed to go over in Serena's head over and over again. There she was, sitting on the ground as she stared blankly at the massive crater. Her chest felt heavy and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. Clemont walked up to her and gently touched her shoulder; the mere light touch made Serena move her head to the boy's chest. Sobs of pain came out of her mouth, burying within his blue clothing. She heard voices as she cried; they came from Clemont and the adults he was talking to. She could feel Bonnie trying to comfort her by rubbing her back and then hugging her.

Serena didn't know how long she was like that but when she finally stood up straight, there was a crowd surrounding the crater. Nearby, she saw Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor all looking towards the center. Earlier, they were busy fighting off Team Flare's reinforcements from entering Geosenge Town. Shauna, the closest of the group, eventually turned to Serena—she walked up and spoke to her.

"Hey Serena."

"Hey," she replied with a weak voice, but Shauna didn't mind. She couldn't think of a way to personally comfort her friend with, one exception.

"I'm here for you," Shauna said. There was a pause between them before Serena said "Thank you" and gave a smile; it was weak but at least it was genuine.

Clemont looked around the town the surroundings again. The explosion created quite an impact on the entire town. Houses were tipped over, many trees were fallen over, grass was burnt, and rocks were blown away. The one thing that took the blast best was the Pokémon Center.

 _Thank goodness that's still standing!_

The young scientist looked back at the crater; he told the adults where the entrance was and they were trying to see if they could find anyone, anything down there. The tense air made the wait longer with nothing to do but look at the damage and comfort Bonnie and Serena. However, no matter what he said, deep down all of logic, emotion, and intuition spoke to them with a pessimistic tone. The only spark of hope for this would be that . . . it's Ash; he would be the only one to cheat death in this type of situation.

 _He's capable of walking out of this in one piece . . . right?_

Finally, Officer Jenny along with a few others became visible as they walked closer to the trio; still—no Ash. Maybe he's been found but is stuck underneath something?

They stopped in front of the blonde siblings with Jenny handing out a piece of clothing. They realized it was Ash's hat—a piece of it actually; half of the Pokéball logo was shown along with the connecting front part. Everything else was gone.

"This was all we could find." The woman gave it to Clemont to hold. His eyes expressed sadness staring at what was left of the hat.

"I'm sorry."

Clemont looked at the two girls along with Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno, the last two walked over beforehand. They all expressed shock and sorrow; he could tell this was going to be a long and hard day.

* * *

Serena woke up while there was little light outside. She sat up from her bed to find that she was in their room at the Pokémon center. There were four beds in the room with two dressers to match. Hers was the closest to the window; to her left she could see a bed occupied by Bonnie in her Tyrantrum pajamas, sucking her thumb as she was faced in the direction of the wall with the window. The next bed had Clemont in it as he was facing away from Serena. She could see him in his white tank top underneath the blanket and that his glasses were resting on the farther dresser.

And then there was the last bed.

Seeing it gave Serena a pain inside her chest, knowing _who_ should be there, and sleeping with the rest of them.

She remembered the events of the last day, although it was still somewhat of a blur. Clemont helped her go to their room where she plopped onto the bed. She remembered crying into the pillow before Clemont left the room. Serena then looked down to see that she slept in her out-clothes. They were very much wrinkled but should that even matter now? Should something small like that deserve any attention after what just happened?

She stood up and walked to the window. The first light of dawn could be seen through it, giving Serena some comfort. For some reason this time of day with the view of its orange to blue gradient, was always enjoyable for her—even when her mother forced her to practice for Rhyhorn racing.

However, this sentiment couldn't truly make Serena forget her pain. Her viewpoint from the window also showed the devastation of the town caused by the Weapon. It made her think of Team Flare and Lysandre; she could still hear the last words she heard from him before he caused the self-destruction of the Weapon—his attempt to take them down with him.

He only got part of his wish fulfilled.

 _I can't believe that we saved the world. Yet, it feels like nothing. The one person who deserves to enjoy it . . . can't be here._

Thinking about that caused both feelings of anger and sadness to emerge at once; they blurred together so Serena couldn't tell the difference. She decided it was best to go for a walk outside. Before that, she dressed in her pajamas with a purple and pink jacket and a pair of pink shorts. She laid her regular clothing out on her bed along with a note saying that she would be back soon.

The fresh air and the walk was helping, but Serena would probably feel better if she wasn't surrounded by everything that reminded her of—she shook her head as she stood by the crater, with a Pokéball clutched in her hand. The place seemed deserted with the exception of a few officers, probably looking for remaining Team Flare members or perhaps making sure that nothing else would happen to the town. Serena hesitated, imagining the look on their face once she would bring out her Pokémon.

She does so anyway.

Her Pokémon was released from the Pokéball, showing to be a gigantic black and red creature with wings known as the Legendary Pokémon, Yvetal. Serena could feel the Pokémon's immense power as it flapped its enormous wings, looking at her. The officers looked up in awe of Yvetal, some pointing at it in amazement.

"I'm sorry that it took longer than it should have," Serena spoke, "but I gave you my word."

Yvetal looked at her for another moment before flying off to who-knows-where. Once the bird became a dot in the sky, Serena turned to walk out of the town. However, a giant man appeared in front of her—he stood tall at about nine feet, with disheveled hair and worn clothing covered in dirt. The man looked at the collapsed weapon before looking down at Serena.

"The man who made the Ultimate Weapon had no intention of causing all of this destruction," spoke the man. "He must be grateful for it to truly be put to rest."

She looked away.

"I didn't do much. The one who did the most was—" Serena choked up. Was saying his name _that_ hard?

"Your friend?" the man suggested as he looked back at the hole. The girl simply nodded.

"I believe it was the same boy who I saw at Lysandre's Lab. He seemed to have radiated with eternal youth."

 _So we are talking about the same person,_ Serena thought.

"In all of my life, never would I have thought a soul like his would become another victim to the weapon. All the creator ever wanted was to have his fallen Pokémon by his side once again. He went so far, draining masses of Pokémon, destroying both sides of the war 3,000 years ago, in hopes of exacting revenge against those who caused him to lose his beloved Pokémon. After all of that however, his eternal friend saw what he became and left his side. The light of the Weapon condemned a hollow shell of a man and a Pokémon that didn't ask to be immortalized to wander about the world, separated."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" asked Serena. She was silent throughout the story, but she didn't exactly understand the point of it.

The man looked at Serena.

"I can see pain in your eyes. They remind me of myself and I understand what you're going through. The questions you should ask yourself now are 'who are you without your friend?' and 'what choices will you make with your pain?'"

The man walked away, leaving Serena with the huge crater by her side.

To herself, she spoke, "Aren't you still in pain though? Will I . . ."

"I see." Professor's Sycamore's face was full of remorse.

Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie had packed their things and left Geosenge Town in order to meet with Professor Sycamore in Lumiose City. Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno decided to stay to help repair the damage caused by Team Flare. It was mostly Clemont who told him everything that happened.

"I feel partially responsible for this," he continued. "If I had known what Lysandre would have done—"

"But there was no way you could have known," Clemont insisted. "None of us could!"

Sycamore looked away from them, ashamed. "I'll call Professor Oak and tell him the news. I'll mention all of you and your friendships with Ash. I'll explain everything to them but should anyone in Kanto want to speak, or even meet, with you three regarding Ash—I'll notify you right away."

Serena flinched.

"Go home and get some rest. You all have gone through enough."

The group sensed that the professor felt terrible about everything that happened. They glanced back at him before leaving. When they exited the laboratory, Clemont asked, "Serena, if you want, we could travel back with you to Vaniville Town. How does that sound Bonnie?"

"Sounds great! Serena?"

She put up a smile. "I'd like that," she spoke.

With the children gone, Sycamore could finally let out his emotions.

"LYSANDRE!" he bellowed.

The professor fell to his knees with his teeth gritted. The anger inside faded, leaving a cold despair in its place.

In a quiet voice he spoke, "I'm deeply sorry, Ash."

When Sycamore finally collected himself, he went to the phone to call Professor Oak.

* * *

It felt like forever as they walked back to Serena's home. When Clemont prepared dinner, he made too much in expectation of Ash. He wasn't there to gobble it all down and compliment his food. Even though both Serena and Bonnie did, it didn't feel right. Nighttime felt too cold and dark even with the fire lit. Bonnie ended up sleeping in the same bag as Serena while Clemont occupied his mind with his inventions. Morning came but it didn't have the same joyful air as before.

Finally, Serena stood next to Clemont and Bonnie in front of her house in Vaniville Town. The house was cream-colored with two floors and a notable attic window. All of the windows had green shutters, orange shingles covered the roof. In front of the house was a large, grassy yard with some bushes on the left side and on the right was a tree next to a house for Serena's mother, Grace's, Rhyhorn. There was a path leading up to a gate that surrounded the house and front yard. A gentle breeze was blowing and the sun was glaring at the front windows. Rhyhorn wasn't there, meaning that Grace wasn't home. It felt so long ago when she went out on her journey in order to go find A— _him_.

"Thank you for walking me home," she told the siblings.

"What are you going to do now?" Bonnie blurted out. Serena however was unsure.

"I'm gonna go to bed and sleep that's for sure!" She said with a fake smile. To be honest though, she doubted she was going to sleep right away. Or even at all.

"Guess we could also meet up with you when, or rather if, we leave for Kanto?" Clemont suggested.

Serena was surprised but also felt bad that she needed to be comforted the most out of them. "Oh, you don't have to go out of your way just t—"

"But we want to!" Bonnie interrupted. Serena noticed the concerned face that she gave.

". . . Alright then," she conceded, with a forced smile.

"Okay. Serena, please don't hesitate to call us for anything. See you later then." Clemont said as he left.

Bonnie said "Take care!" as she followed her brother.

Serena waved them off until they were far away enough; the smile she faked dropped immediately. She decided to go through the gate and went inside her house.

Delia Ketchum was sitting in a chair in the family room; she was holding a picture frame with her and Ash in it. It was cracked where Ash was when it fell the other day and, as his mother, she couldn't help but be concerned about him. Before she knew it, a knock came from the door. While still holding the frame, she opened it to find Professor Oak with a serious face.

"Hello Delia," he said. His unrelenting face and the tone of his voice concerned her.

"Hi Professor. Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," he responded. "Why don't we sit down and talk."

The two sat down on the couch but Delia couldn't help but continue to look at the cracked picture frame of her and Ash.

 _Are you alright?_

As though on cue, looking saddened by the picture frame she was holding, Professor Oak spoke.

"I've received a call from Professor Sycamore of the Kalos region."

Delia looked up immediately.

"Kalos? Is Ash okay?"

Professor Oak had to look away.

"I'm afraid not."

For the second time that week, the picture frame fell onto the floor.

* * *

It's been almost two weeks since the event at Geosenge Town. Professor Sycamore contacted the group and told them that Ash's mother, Delia, invited all three of them to Pallet Town in Kanto to attend Ash's funeral and that she wished to meet her son's last set of friends. They were surprised and also nervous but agreed to go nonetheless, together. Clemont and Bonnie stood again in front of Serena's house in Vaniville Town to pick her up. Rhyhorn was in its home and Serena's Pokémon were sitting beside it. Bonnie looked excited to see them.

"Clemont, can I play with them?" she asked.

"Sure," he said.

Clemont stood there for a minute watching his little sister greet the Pokémon, hugging all of them. She even hugged the Rhyhorn, who she never met before.

 _After all that's happen,_ he thought, _I'm really glad she hasn't lost her innocence._

"Ack!"

Rhyhorn licked Bonnie, kind of like back when Ash was training for the Rhyhorn race in the beginning of their journey. He remembered Serena showing Ash how to properly ride a Rhyhorn leading her to get licked by all of them and Bonnie rushing to meet with the affectionate Rhyhorns. Happy, happy, hap-

Clemont snapped back and hurriedly walked to the front door. Hopefully, no one noticed him awkwardly stand there while his sister played with Pokémon not his own, even if they were Serena's and her mother's.

He gave a few knocks to the door in front of him. He had tried calling a few times to talk to Serena but it either went to voicemail or her mother picked it up. Even then, Serena would be out alone or stayed in bed, refusing to talk to anyone. Because of that, he chatted a lot with her mother; casually enough that she even let him refer to her by her name, Grace.

As predicted, it was Grace who opened the door. She smiled seeing that it was Serena's friends.

"Hi Clemont," she greeted. "Serena is still upstairs. Would you like to come in?"

"Y-yeah. Thank you."

They sat at a round table in the kitchen. A mug of coffee that said _Best Racer_ on it was on the table.

"I'm very glad to finally meet you in person," Clemont said.

"I was about to say the same thing," Grace took a sip before speaking again.

"So you let Bonnie go play with Rhyhorn huh?"

"Well when I asked last night, you were okay with it; even suggesting to have Serena's Pokémon out there too."

"Yeah, I did," she took another sip. "Did you tell her where to pet?"

"To the left of the horn." Clemont restated.

The mother gave a nod of approval. Then she looked up to the ceiling, not hearing anything above from Serena's bedroom.

"She's taking too long," she said quietly as she stood up.

"Huh?"

"Mother's intuition," she took a broom, stood on her seat and began tapping the ceiling.

"Hey! You're friends are waiting for you!" Clemont began to feel nervous.

"W-what about letting her be?" he asked.

"This is different," she insisted. "She's making others wait. Time's up."

Beforehand, Grace told Clemont that after her decision to be a performer, after all the training for Rhyhorn racing, she decided not to force Serena to do things anymore. Even if that meant letting Serena stay in her room or letting her go out for walks. However, Grace would still scold Serena if she's been outside too late.

"Hey, how about I go up and talk to her?" The boy suggested.

"Thank you Clemont," she got down and put away the broom. "Come to think of it, I never properly introduced myself to your sister. Let me do so now."

Grace went out to talk with Bonnie as Clemont headed upstairs. He already knew that he had to take a right and to the left would be Serena's room. Once again, he knocked.

Serena was curled up on her side as she hid under her blankets. Next to that shell, the windows were covered by the green shutters—making the room dark despite the daylight that barely peeked into the room. The silence of the room was interrupted when knocking came from the door and a voice came from the other side.

"It's me, Clemont."

She got out of her cocoon and sat up when the door slowly opened enough for a head to peak in. The head of the blond boy became visible; he had his hands over his glasses and offered a weak "Hello?" to the miserable girl.

"I'm fully clothed Clemont. You can look."

His hand moved from his eyes.

"Oh," he simply said.

The boy fully walked in as he took note of the room along with its dark and messy atmosphere: the Pokéball shaped table in the middle, the green cover underneath, and the desk at the corner to his right with a trash bin surrounded by used napkins and other bits of trash; most likely due to failed attempts to throw them from the bed on the other side of the room. Serena sat forward there, in her pajamas, looking back at Clemont but not bothering to stand up.

"Hard to see here in the dark," he joked.

"Yeah," Serena said quietly.

She curled up into a ball, still sitting on the bed as she looked down at the floor. As Clemont walked towards her, he noticed the sad and empty eyes that his friend held. The boy wasn't sure how to respond so he nervously sat down next to her. No acknowledgement was given for this action.

"I know it hurts," he began, "but the least we can do is pay our respects with" Ash's loved ones."

Serena's head moved further down.

"S-sorry," Clemont said.

Now the boy was feeling guilty and even more nervous.

"No," her head finally lifted up to see Clemont. "I'm the one who can't stand to hear his name. Or say. Or think." He noticed her eyes beginning to water up so he placed his hand on to her shoulder. Serena looked down in front of herself again.

"Do you think . . . that his friends . . . will blame us? That we didn't do anything . . . to save him? We could have done more. Maybe if he was with any other of his friends, he'd still be alive. If it were anyone else stronger than us, maybe they wouldn't be feeling this pain." Tears were falling down her face and onto the floor as Serena sniffled between breaks. Suddenly, she was turned towards Clemont into a hug. She gasped.

"They're good people. I know because he's said good things about every one of them. They're his friends after all. I'm sure that they all have cried for him. Bonnie has. I certainly have."

"Clemont," she said quietly.

"If he saw us sad, he would have done something to help us smile," he continued. Clemont moved Serena in front of him so that she could look at him in the eyes. "That's why, for his sake, we should make sure to support his friends and help them smile again."

Serena looked at Clemont for a minute, taking in what he said. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Thank you Clemont. I really needed that."

"It's what friends are for," he said as he stood up. "I'll meet you outside."

He hurriedly got out and closed her door.

The first thing that Serena did alone was open her window, letting light pierce through the dark room for the first time in a long while. She squinted her eyes as they adjusted to the bright sky. Once she could see, Serena noticed where her Pokémon and Rhyhorn were, as well as Bonnie while she and her mother talked about something. At some point, she looked up to Serena and smiled. She decided to smile back before moving away to change.

Clemont was walking down the stairs when he paused. He looked back up to Serena's door dumbfounded. He did something that he never thought he would do: be in a girl's room and even sit on her bed. He turned a little red since he always figured that if he did get in a girl's room, he would be too nervous to behave normally. He must have been so focused on Serena; miniscule thoughts like that never came up. He continued to head out and walked to where Bonnie and Grace were.

"I managed to catch up to him and right at the end, I finally got past 'em and won," Grace told Bonnie. She couldn't help but look at awe at the retired Rhyhorn racer. The child quickly noticed Clemont coming over.

"Hey, Clemont," she said. "Serena's mom was just telling me a cool racing story!"

"Oh you can call me Grace too, Bonnie," the racer told her.

"Okay, Grace. Can you tell Clemont about the part when Rhyhorn ran through a river to go through a shortcut?"

"A river?" Clemont asked. "That must have been a hard task to do with its typing."

"Yeah," Grace patted her Rhyhorn. "We've went through a lot together. He's quite the soldier." A blush emerged from the Spikes Pokémon. Grace continued to tell stories about her races while the siblings gave interest to them in their own ways. It wasn't long before Serena came out. The girl was dressed the way she started her journey: a grayish-black tank top with a white collar, her long red skirt, the dark pink hat with a black hatband and bow, black stockings, and black shoes. Her pink backpack slung on her shoulders all packed and ready to go.

"Sorry for the wait guys," Serena said.

"Serena!" Bonnie exclaimed. Paying no attention to all of the waiting, she ran up to her friend to give her a big hug.

"I've missed you!" she said.

Serena bent down and hugged back.

"I've missed you too." she responded.

Clemont came up to them.

"Ready?"

Serena nodded. Grace came over and hugged her.

"Bye Mom."

"Bye sweetie," Serena's mother turned to the children. "You guys take good care of her."

"We will," Clemont said.

"We'll be sure to be careful and stick together!" Bonnie said as she pulled Serena away. "Bye!"

"Bonnie, wait up!"

Clemont was about to catch up when Grace stopped him briefly and said, "Thank you, Clemont. I'm glad she has a friend like you."

"Oh, it was nothing," the boy said nervously. A compliment of this magnitude was a bit much for him. "I really need to get going! Goodbye!"

The girls waited as Clemont caught up to them.

"What were you saying to my mom?" Serena wondered. Bonnie answered for him.

"Well since" Clemont acts responsibly like an adult, then maybe they were talking about adult conversations along with the other times," she gasped. "Maybe they were talking about marriage! Grace must have been giving Clemont advice!"

"W-what?! How did you reach to that conclusion?"

Behind them was Grace, smiling at the children as they walked farther. Her partner Pokémon came up next to her.

"Rhyhorn."

"You're right," admitted Grace. "She certainly has grown."

The last thing they see before moving was Serena laughing at Clemont's dismay.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! And good luck on the new school year!**


	3. Memories to Hold

**Hey guys. It's been a half a year, sorry about that. School and life just gets to you and the right balance to give myself time can be a bit of a challenge. Also, finding the right tone and mood for this chapter was a big struggle, but definitely worth it. Now, let me address a few things since my last update:**

 **My Username has changed. Hopefully, this is the one I stick to for a really long time.  
**

 **The rating changed to T because I wasn't sure where death would have been rated.**

 **Shippings... there will be Pearl and Amour hints, but I'm not gonna say which one will be there at the end. For GeekChic, I doubt it will be an endgame ship.**

 **This fanfic is going on AO3 and Tumblr as the same username.**

 **April 1st, this is the anime's 20th anniversary, so cheers for Ash being 10 for 20 years! YAY! Now Enjoy!**

 **Our Time and Space**

Chapter 3

Sunlight glared through a window and into a bedroom. The intense light settled at the head of the petite bed where a girl slept. She slightly opened her eyes to the glare before turning to the other direction. A few minutes later, it dawned on her that she needed to leave soon, so she got out of her bed and walked towards a drawer for a change of clothes.

The girl wiped her eyes as she looked at herself in a hanging mirror. She blinked her eyes a few times, realizing that she was wearing her old pink, yellow-striped pajamas.

Unusually, she ignored that her blue hair was messy and said to herself, "It's finally time, Dawn."

After a long hour of brushing, fixing her hair and getting dressed, she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror one last time. She was wearing her black vest with the white shirt underneath and her pink short skirt. A Pokétch was on her left wrist while the other sported a wristband with two lilac beads attached. She also had pink boots that reached to her knees with black socks sticking out. With a final tug to her dark pink scarf and a pat on her white hat, she finally left the bathroom.

Dawn stepped on the blue carpet and glanced around the room. It was a small, white room with the window and drawer positioned to the left of the messy bed; across from it was a small desk and the hanging mirror. To the right of the bed was a small bathroom and across from that was a door to the outside. The window rocked slightly from side to side as it showed the wide blue ocean; this let Dawn know that the ferry was still moving.

The bed rustled until a blue penguin Pokémon came out from under the bed sheets.

"Good morning Piplup," greeted Dawn.

"Piplup." Still tired, he flopped and smushed his face onto the floor.

"Come on Piplup, we're gonna be in Kanto soon." No response.

"Don't you think we should get some food before that?" Dawn said as she heard his stomach rumble.

Dawn came out of her room and stood at the railing of the boat as she took a deep breath. She exhaled and turned to see her partner walk outside as well before jumping into her arms. They went to go get breakfast and before they knew it, an announcement came to say that they've arrived in Kanto.

Dawn and Piplup saw the mainland get bigger as the boat got closer to the nearest dock. They were the first ones to leave the boat as they each took their first steps in Kanto.

"So this is Kanto," the girl said quietly. Piplup gave a mixed response.

"Piplup lup lup. Piplup."

Dawn nodded.

"Yeah. If only we came for a better reason."

* * *

Clemont was sitting between Bonnie and Serena on the airplane. Bonnie called dibs on the window seat, and the boy decided to sit next to his sister; that left Serena with the aisle seat. What he didn't expect, however, was both leaning onto him while they slept. Even Dedenne ended up sleeping on his leg.

Bonnie's head rested on his arm with some drool slowly oozing out her mouth. She was lightly snoring with some of it getting dangerously close to his shirt. Her hand also laid on Dedenne's back from petting it before it decided to nap on her brother's leg.

On the other side, Serena had her head on Clemont's shoulder with her hat placed on her lap. He could hear her peaceful breathing, even through Bonnie's snoring. The boy observed Serena's clothing; she wore this outfit at the beginning of their journey, back when she had long hair.

 _Why not wear the other one you had?_

Clemont thought about the blue ribbon she wore with that outfit, remembering that it was important to her.

 _I think it was from Ash._

The booming voice from the speakers stirred the girls up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be arriving in Saffron City of the Kanto region momentarily. Please fasten your seatbelt and have all electronics turned off. The weather is cloudy with a chance of rain. Thank you for flying with us and hope you have a great day."

Bonnie woke Dedenne up, telling him that they're almost in Kanto. They both covered the window with their face to see the region. When Serena was awake, she rose from Clemont's shoulder and brushed her hair with her hands before placing her hat back on.

"Sorry for sleeping on you," she said to the boy.

"I didn't mind," Clemont replied, "at least you didn't drool on me as well."

His eyes were on a dark blue spot on his clothing.

The plane finally landed and the group left the plane then the airport with their luggage in town. The first thing they noticed as they came outside was the livelihood of Saffron City with cars and taxi cabs. As impressed as they were, it didn't change their glum mood. In fact, it began to rain lightly.

Fortunately, they noticed a sign that had their names on it by an old man with an umbrella in the other hand. The man, who was also standing by a car, was none other than Professor Oak. They hurried towards him as he awkwardly gestured them to come over.

"Are you Ash's friends from Kalos?" When they confirmed with nodding and yes-es, he opened up the trunk. "Then let's get out of the rain and into the car."

The drive to Kanto began mostly in silence, thanks to Professor Oak talking about the time for the funeral and other helpful advice to navigate through Pallet Town. It wasn't hard for him to notice their mood, so he decided to change topics.

"I've heard great things about the Kalos region; from its beauteous cities to the wonderful Pokémon residing there."

Clemont helped his icebreaker and said, "Oh yes, it was amazing to see the different landscapes and festivities each city had."

A small smile was forced from Serena. "The clothing there is nice too."

"It was fun to explore it," Bonnie added.

"I'm sure it was a brand new experience for all of you," the Professor said, "there will always be good and bad times in life, but which will be remembered? The smiles or the strife's?"

It was as if the words echoed for all of them. The way from Saffron to Pallet Town was long and crossed through other cities and towns. The trio looked through the windows as they passed through Kanto and spotted Pokémon they've never seen before, for a bit over an hour. Then the horizon began to show a small town in the distance—Pallet Town. However the sky was dyed orange as they approached it, so the Professor suggested to stay at an inn close to Ash's house.

* * *

Upon arrival, they said their 'goodbyes' and 'thank-yous' to the Professor and Clemont exchanged info with him. After watching the Professor leave, they went to check into the inn.

After much-needed sleep, they got ready for the day—meaning they were all dressed in black. They followed Clemont, who had directions from the Professor.

After a few wrong turns, they eventually found themselves at Ash's house. By then the clouds began to darken, making the place look grimmer. Gloom surrounded the house in the form of Pokémon faces. They were surprised by how many people were there solely from looking through the front windows, though Serena was the first to express this.

"Woah. This place looks crowded." They noticed how everyone had the same type of clothing as they wore.

"I guess we shouldn't be too surprised that he made these many friends based on how he . . . was," Clemont said. He noticed his sister was admiring the foreign Pokémon instead.

She asked, "Could all of them be Ash's Pokémon?" She never noticed the saddened face Serena made.

"He did mention catching many Pokémon from other regions," Clemont said, "but it's still wondrous to see them."

The trio noticed the front door was open; Bonnie carelessly walked through, but her brother made sure to knock before entering with Serena following suit. The room was filled with people quietly talking to each other. Some talked while standing near the window next to the door while others sat on the stairs. Clemont noticed Professor Oak sitting down on the couch talking with others.

He noticed the trio looking out of place and walked up and greeted them. Clemont also introduced himself, Bonnie and Serena, to everyone close to the couch. A girl wearing a black bandana over her brown hair was named May. She had apparently traveled with Ash through Hoenn along with her brother and Brock, who was in another room. Sitting next to May was her green-haired friend and rival Drew who held a rose in his hand as if he was twirling it around. Next was a dark skinned girl with massive purple hair tied at the end was Iris. Leaning against the couch was the grandson of the professor, Gary Oak, who was a junior professor himself. His brown hair was slightly covering his face and his current serious expression made him seem more adult-like.

They also learned that the woman sitting next to the Professor was Ash's mother, Delia. She was auburn-haired and auburn-eyed, wearing black clothing like everybody else and a tissue box on her lap. She gave a welcoming, yet sad, smile when she spoke.

"Are you the ones who traveled with my son in Kalos?"

Serena felt sweat in her palms. "Y-yes."

"Would you mind telling me a few stories you have with my son from there? I've always enjoyed it when he told me the adventures he's gone through, e-every time he came back . . . home," she ended with a sob.

"Not at all," Clemont answered. He looked at girls by his side. "I can tell them a few stories by myself if you want. Feel free to talk with the others around here."

"Are you sure?" Serena wished she could share some stories with Ash's mother herself, but she knew that she'd feel too uncomfortable to say a word.

"Of course. I don't mind at all." The boy sat down next to a tan, purple haired girl named Iris. She was actually bringing up Ash's Unova adventures before the trio arrived.

As Clemont told stories of their adventures together, he noticed Delia's eyes began to water.

"I'm really sorry, Mrs. Ketchum," he politely said.

"I'm fine," she responded. "It's just, I. . . I. . ."

Tears began to fall down from her cheeks. May brought the tissue box closer to Delia as everyone attempted to comfort her. As Clemont watched this, Gary came closer and spoke to him quietly to keep his words between them.

"How're you holding up?" Clemont turned to him. "I know that it's probably overwhelming for you guys, especially since you don't know anyone here."

The blond nodded.

"A bit. Although, it's overwhelming in general to see everyone like this at all I imagine."

"You're not wrong there," Gary agreed. There was a silence between them that was neither awkward nor comforting as the mourning mother's sobs began to slowly simmer down. Again, Gary spoke up.

"I don't know how everyone feels, but I'm sure you guys did the best you could out there." He caught Clemont's eyes widening quickly and an exhale along with it. It seemed his eyes were a bit wet.

"Thank you, Professor Oak. It's really appreciated." His glasses were lifted to dry his eyes.

"Gary. That's reserved for my grandfather."

"It's the others that I'm concerned about however," Clemont explained. Their conversation halted when Delia seemed to pick herself up again.

"Sorry about that." She said. "It's—It's—"

"No, no. It's fine. Shall I resume?"

* * *

Bonnie wanted to go see the Pokémon all by herself; so she quietly made her way back outside to introduce herself and possibly comfort the mourning Pokémon. As she got closer, she noticed a green lizard on its hind legs with a leafy tail. A boy her size with glasses was talking to it, so she greeted him with a "Hello." He turned back, surprised by an unfamiliar voice to see a girl his age. While she wasn't smiling, she did seem friendly enough to answer back. His eyes though still had a tint of sadness in them.

"Hi there. My name is Max and this is Sceptile."

"Sceptile," the grass-type nodded.

"I'm Bonnie. It's nice to meet you." She looked around the area, noticing how all the Pokémon were quietly interacting in groups like the people inside the house. Some of the Pokémon, like the flamed-headed monkey, were crying with others such as Bulbasaur trying to comfort them.

"They're acting no differently than we're acting," Max pointed out.

She nodded. "It makes me want to help them."

"That's actually what I'm doing," Bonnie looked back at Max, "Ash meant a lot to them as much as they had to him. I'm trying to talk to each and every one of them to see how they're doing."

Her eyes widened for a brief second. "That's very thoughtful. Would you like some help?"

Max was caught off guard by the offer. "That'd be great."

Meanwhile, there was a circle of people that Serena wanted to join in but as she got closer to them, the fear inside her racked up again and she turned around. Plus, she accidentally bumped into a few people and could've sworn to see them give her a dirty look or two.

So she tried to talk to someone nearby. Sitting on the stairs was a blond boy. His green scarf was the only thing that peaked out of his dark and wrinkled suit. His dull, orange eyes were looking down at the floor as if the wooden planks were the only thing that mattered. In an attempt to lighten his mood, Serena gave a weak, "Hello."

Silence.

She was unsure if he even heard her, but before making a response, the boy's head silently creaked towards her direction. Those gloomy eyes did nothing but blink at her.

However, those few seconds slowed down for Serena as she took in his expression. The puffy streaks of skin on his cheeks, the thick, dark linings underneath his eyes. They only stayed half open, but it was plenty for her to see; the dark holes inside, as if something pierced his soul, leaving him empty.

The pounding of Serena's chest felt louder to her. She slowly backed away, eventually walking through the door for fresh air. She leaned against the side of a corner of the house outside. Now that Serena was away from most of them, she gave a big sigh that relaxed her but also felt disappointed with how she was behaving.

 _It's not our fault,_ the girl insisted. Slowly, her heart began to calm down.

"So . . . why are you out here?"

The harsh voice startled her as she looked around to see a guy with purple hair leaning as well on the other side of the corner. He kept looking forward with a straight face that intimidated her.

"I-I could ask you the same thing." Despite the intimidation, she couldn't help but find that first sentence a bit rude.

He shrugged. "Fair enough. I'm here because I don't think I'd feel better talking to them. The atmosphere is too depressing and tense."

"Yeah. It's all . . . nerve-wracking for me to even talk." As if on cue, the air suddenly felt tense and silent again but she felt compelled to offer an ice-breaker to stop it.

"So, how did you meet him?"

He finally looked at Serena. "He found me while trying to find his lost Pikachu. He never liked the way I caught and trained my Pokémon and I found his way more bothersome than it was worth. We didn't get along and usually fought each other."

"If that's true, then why are you here?" His eyes softened as if he was looking back at something before saying his next line with genuineness.

"I can't help but respect him. So much that it'd have bothered me if I didn't come." His face was back to being severely stoic again as he began to take his leave.

Before he left, he said, "The name's Paul. It was nice chatting." Serena watched him as he walked away, unsure whether it helped her or not.

* * *

Serena felt bad for not listening to the speeches since she really didn't want to take them all in and end up bawling.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder; she turned to see that it belonged to a pretty girl with blue hair. Serena wasn't sure why, but she finally felt comforted for once since arriving at Kanto. Maybe it was because although her blue eyes had tears in them, they shined; as if they gleamed with hope itself. Maybe it was the small smile this girl gave her, with the sole purpose of comforting Serena despite making her streaks of tears more noticeable.

Maybe because she knew that this girl was feeling as much pain as she felt from the death of their mutual friend. Serena began to notice that her own cheeks were wet as well and she wiped them both as she returned the blue-eyed girl a smile of her own. Even though this bond was born from mutual pain, Serena was glad she was able to connect to at least one person.

While the details weren't all heard, she was able to tune in every now and then. A girl with short, orange hair and green eyes named Misty talked about her experiences of traveling with him as a beginning Trainer and how they used to argue with each other so much.

She concluded, "When I look at this coffin, I expect him to just come out or something. I still can't believe he's gone." The ending barely was barely heard before Misty broke down. Her breathing became erratic when a boy with brown hair her age came up to her and began to hold her tight. Her head buried into his shoulder before a muffled noise came out. They began to walk to their seats as the next person came up.

Brock was older than most companions and therefore taller. He had eyes that looked stoic along with brown spiked hair. As Ash's longest companion to travel along with, he was able to see him grow from a beginning trainer to a mentor for others. He couldn't be anymore proud of his progression. Serena next remembered Gary talking about his rivalry with him and how the faults he had were justified in his desire to help others. Next was a girl with the bandana, May, who saw him as a teacher and admired his battling techniques.

Her attention became full when the girl next to her stood up. It never crossed her mind that she could have been another traveling companion. She stood up in front of everyone and Serena was able to hear her voice.

"My name is Dawn. I traveled around Sinnoh with Ash and Brock. I learned a lot from him . . . but at the same time, he was able to learn from me despite being more experienced. We'd also fight, makeup, and fight again. But eventually, we'd come back right to each other and compromise. And we'd push each other forward out of any pinch we were in."

She looked at her hand as if remembering something.

"We always knew that our time together was limited. It might have made us sad at the time, but . . ." Her hand closed up and was brought close to her chest.

"The smiles we had together will always be treasured. I think everyone here can relate to that."

As Dawn walked down, Serena kept her eyes on her—blown away by her speech. Before sitting down, Dawn gave a quick reassuring smile. Even when Cilan, the green-haired, green-eyed Pokémon Connoisseur talked about Ash with cooking metaphors, Serena was still replaying that speech Dawn gave.

When they asked if anyone else wanted to speak, Clemont walked up in front of everyone since he knew his friends wouldn't be able to speak up there. Compared to everyone else beforehand, he was nervous; Serena could tell that from the way his legs were slightly shaking. Suddenly she felt bad to put him in the situation.

Maybe I should say something.

However, the thought of standing up there also made her legs tremble. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by Clemont.

"Hi- hi. My n-name is Clemont and . . ." It looked like he was looking at something, as though reading, on his hand. Serena saw him sigh before putting something away.

"To be honest, today was the first time I've learned about Ash's progression from the beginning and how he became such a great person. Everyone nearly pointed out everything about him and even though everyone knew him longer, I'd like to think that Serena, my sister Bonnie, and I were just as close. He always gave it his all in every challenge he faced; it was inspirational to watch. It made us all want to become better than we were yesterday. Moments like those shouldn't be forgotten; they should be treasured."

Serena turned around and noticed the atmosphere was lighter than before. She wasn't sure if it was because of Clemont's speech or everyone's overall.

* * *

"Serena?"

She turned to the little girl who called her, Bonnie.

"Why are you outside?" the little girl asked.

Serena sat on the stairs of the porch while Bonnie stood by the open door.

"I was thinking to myself," replied Serena.

"You couldn't do it inside with everyone?"

"I needed it to be quieter. The fresh air helped too." Serena cared deeply about Bonnie, but there's no way that she would understand, right?

"I'll be in there shortly. I just need more time."

Bonnie said, "Okay," before going back in and closing the door.

She wasn't sure how long she was out there for. For Serena, it was still hard to take in everything. The memory of Ash's death kept replaying in her mind as she wondered what she could have done to prevent it, throughout the funeral. She didn't want to break down crying surrounded by his friends.

Suddenly, the door opened again.

"Bonnie—oh!"

The person standing by the door was not Bonnie but Dawn. Her blue hair was currently dangled down and her hat was to her side.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Dawn asked. "You wouldn't be in Pallet Town if you weren't." Serena nodded. She watched this blue-haired girl sit down with her on the stairs.

"Serena, right?"

"Yeah. You must be Dawn." There was a pause between them before Dawn spoke again.

"I don't blame you for missing him. He's truly one of a kind."

Serena hesitated. "He showed me what it meant to courageous. And to reach for my goal."

"He's always supported his friends . . . and his Pokémon."

"Always training and working hard."

"And coming back with an empty stomach."

"As if there was ever a bottom to it." Their memories of Ash made Serena smile and Dawn chuckle. Seeing her so happy at a time like this made Serena wonder.

"What?" asked Dawn.

"How are you so . . ."

Dawn looked as clueless as Ash for a brief second before getting it. "Well, it's not like I was never sad. I cried for him too.

"But! A talk with my mom helped me realize something," Dawn wanted what her next words to be right. "He was always there and wanted his friends, like you, to follow their dreams. Even now, that hasn't changed at all. He always made sure that you would stand back up on your feet. I believe that Ash still wants to make sure that we will stand up from this."

Serena looked in awe of Dawn. For the first time since his death, Serena was able to hear his name without pain in her chest. Her eyes filled with the confidence that she claimed to be taught by him and she stood up.

"Thank you, Dawn," Serena said. The coordinator smiled.

"What are friends for?"

Serena went inside—Dawn was going to follow but something red caught her attention. She walked up to it to see that it was a piece of a clothing. It looked like it was left behind. As she picked it up to examine it, she realized that Serena accidently forgot what was left of Ash's most recent hat.

"Oh Ash," Dawn painfully said as tears rolled down her face. She looked up to see, in the distance, a silhouette of a man on top of a hill with forest behind him. What was once a sunset was now borderline nighttime, making it hard to see anything. To her, it felt like the unknown man was looking at her before he walked away into the forest.

Dawn wiped the tears off of her face before walking back in, with the hat piece still in her hand.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Maybe the next update won't take as long ;)**


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